Coach Wooden and Me

Our 50-Year Friendship On and Off the Court

By: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Sports & Recreation

when future nba legend kareem abdul-jabbar was still an 18-year-old high school basketball prospect from new york city named lew alcindor, he accepted a scholarship from ucla largely on the strength of coach john wooden's reputation as a winner. it turned out to be the right choice, as alcindor and his teammates won an unprecedented three ncaa championship titles. but it also marked the beginning...